Wave-motor



(No Model.)

P. BREITENSTEIN.

WAVE MOTOR.

Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

co., PNCITD-LITNQ. WASHINGTON UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

PAUL BREITENSTEIN, OF KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOANTON GLOOK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,498, dated April30, 1895. Application filed September 18, 1894; Serial No. 523,389. (Nomodel.)

To aZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL BREITENSTEIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Klamath Falls, Klamath county, State of Oregon, haveinvented an Improvement in Wave-Motors; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention consists of an apparatus which is designed to transmitmotion and power from a float which is actuated by the rise and fall ofthe waves, to shafts and ma chinery by which the power may betransmitted to any desired point. a

It consistsin certain details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.Fig. 3 is a detail view of the power transmitting device.

In carrying out my invention I provide a frame-Work A of heavy timberwhich is suitably anchored to the bottom, at a point where the waveswill have free access, so as to pro-'- duce a considerable rise and fallof the surface of the water.

The f rame-work may be anchored by loading it with rocks, or in anyother suitable manner, so as to retain it permanently in place andprevent its being moved by the action of the waves. From this frame-workdouble vertical posts B B arise, extending upward to a pointsufficiently above the highest point reached by the tides and waves, andthe upper part serves as a support for the machinery to be afterwarddescribed.

Between the vertical post's B is fitted a float C. This float ispeculiarly shaped. The central portion of it has a very convex bottom,

- while the ends extend outwardly in planes inclining upwardly from thetermination of the convex portion, until they unite with the top or deckwhich is properly covered and inclosed. The interior of the ends areseparated from the central portion by vertical partitions or diaphragmsD and the deck is provided with suitable openings, with trap doors E,through which heavy ballast may be introduced into the end compartments.

The central compartment has f0 rmed in the upper portion of it, a tank Ewhich is designed to receive a body of water, and which may then beentirely closed. Around this tank is a considerable space 0 which isfilled with air, either at ordinary pressure, or, if desired, thechamber may be made tight enough so that the air may be compressedwithin it.

Through the deck and bottom of the float pass vertical tubes G whichserve as guides through which chains H pass from the winding drums orwindlasses I upon the deck of the float. The drums I are used to adjustthe lengths of the guide chains.

Below the tubes G and the float, these chains are separated, as shown,and extend outwardly to each side, where they connect with the travelersK. These travelers consist of frames adapted to slide between theadjacent vertical posts B, and they have upon them rollers L whichtravel against the faces of the posts, thus reducing the friction.

Plates is upon the opposite sides of the posts, either plain or providedwith rollers, serve to preventthe travelers from leaving their positionsbetween the guiding posts. These travelers and chains prevent the floatfrom being thrown into contact with the post at either side, while atthe same time they allow the freest possible vertical movement whenacted upon by the waves.

The peculiar shape of the bottom causes the float to be easily actedupon by slight waves and the flattened and inclined portions at theends, when they receive the force of the waves beneath them, exert apowerful lifting action to tilt the float as the waves pass beneath it,while the weight of the ballast in these ends is suficient to bring itdown again with great power after the passage of any wave beneath it.

The water in the central tank does not entirely fill the tank, and,therefore, as the float is tilted by the action of the waves this waterrolls from end to end of. the tank and this adds to the motion of thefloat, while the surrounding body of air gives it sufficient buoyancy toprevent its sinking. In order to transmit the power thus generated bythe action of this float, I employ ropes or chains M, the ends of whichare secured to the ends of the float as shown, and they pass thence upIbo over a series of drums O which turn loosely upon shafts P. Theshafts P have ratchet wheels Q fixed upon them, and pawls R eugage theratchets when the drums O are turned in one direction so as to transmitthe force from the wheels to the shaft, but when the wheels turnin theopposite direction, the' pawls pass loosely overthe ratchets withoutimparting any motion to the shaft.

The ropes or chains from the float pass up first over the top of thedrum 0, connected with one of the shafts, thence beneath the drum 0',connected with the other, thence upwardly over a pulley T and down tothe counterbalance weight U. The ropes from the opposite side in acorresponding manner pass over and beneath similar drums connected withthe wheel shafts which are actuated by these ropes, and havecorresponding counterbalance weights to keep them taut. The ropes are sofixed at opposite ends of the float that the drums and pulleys, of theropes leading from one end, lie between those from the other end, andboth sets act upon the same shafts P. It will be seen by thisconstruction that when one end of the float rises, the action of therope or chain passing over the drum 0, will turn a gear S on the sameshaft in the direction shown by the arrow, and passing beneath the drum0' will turn the gear S on that shaft in the opposite direction, but asthe two mesh or engage with each other, they will be acted upon so as toturn in the proper direction for this meshing. One of these gears Sconnects with a pinion v on a counter-shaft V, through which power istransmitted, and this shaft may have a counterbalance wheel W upon theend to keep up the motion after it has once commenced.

By the similar arrangement of the ropes or chains from the opposite endof the float, it will be seen that when this end of the float rises thechain passing over'the corresponding drums O and beneath the drumcorresponding to 0, will rotate the shaft again in the same direction asbefore, by reason of the pawl and ratchet connections. Meanwhile theopposite end of the float descending willpull upon the rope and thecounterbalance weight will rise, while the pawls moving loosely over theratchet teeth, will allow the shafts to continue their motion in thesame direction although transmitted to them by the downward movement ofthe opposite end of the float.

Having thus described my invention, What Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wave motor consisting of an anchored frame-work having verticalguides, a float adapted to tilt and move between said guides, travelersmovable up and down upon the guides at each side of the opposite ends ofthe float, chains connecting said travelers with the float whereby thelatter is retained out of contact with the guides while allowed to moveup and down, and chains or ropes extending from the ends of the floatover pulleys whereby the rise and fall of the float transmits motionthereto.

2. A wave motor consisting of an anchored frame-work vertical guideposts with travelers adapted to move up and down upon said guides, afloat fitting between the guides having tubular openings extendingvertically through its center, chains connected with the travelers andpassing up through said tubes, and winding drums or take up devicesWhereby the length of the chains is adjusted.

8. The anchored frame with guides, and a float adapted to move andoscillate between said guides by the action of the waves, parallelshafts journaled across the framework above the float having drumsturning loosely upon them and wheels fixed to the shafts and gearingwith each other, ropes or chains extending from the ends of the floatover and under the drums upon the shafts, and pawl and ratchetmechanisms whereby the downward movement of either end of the float willact to rotate the shafts continuously in one direction and the upwardmovements will relieve them by the disengagement of the pawls from theratchets.

4. In a wave motor, a rocking or tilting float with vertical guidesbetween which it is movable, said float having the bottom made centrallyconvex with upwardly inclined plane ends extending outwardly therefrom,chamhers formed in said ends adapted to contain ballast, and a centralair chamber intermediate between said ballast chambers with a water tankfixed therein as described.

5. In a wave motor, a rocking or tilting float with vertical guidesbetween which it is movable, parallel shafts journaled in supports whichare stationary, gear wheels fixed to said shafts and engaging with eachother, drums turning loosely upon the shafts, and pawl and ratchetmechanisms by which the drums are engaged to rotate both shafts whenturned in one direction, and released when turned in an oppositedirection, ropes or chains connected with opposite ends of the float,each set of ropes passing over the drums nearest their point ofattachment to the float, and then beneath the drums upon the adjacentshaft, and thence over pulleys to counter-balance weights, whereby theupward movement of either end of the float acts to rotate the two shaftscontinuously.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PAUL BREITENSTEIN.

Witnesses:

S. H. N OURSE, H. F. AsoHnoK.

